Camera door and body construction

ABSTRACT

A camera door and body are configured to allow only limited access to the camera interior for film loading, in order to shield interior mechanisms from foreign particles and tampering, and to allow greater or unlimited access to the camera interior should it become necessary, for example, to clear a film jam in the camera or to repair or clean an interior mechanism.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to photographic cameras, andmore particularly to a camera door and body construction whichsubstantially shields the camera interior during film loading andunloading to protect interior mechanisms from foreign particles andtampering.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Most still picture cameras that are available today fall into twogeneral categories in connection with film loading. That is, aparticular camera usually is either a "bottom-loaded" type or a"back-loaded" type. In the bottom-loaded type, which most often is a 35mm camera, such as the Leica M5 or as disclosed in German Pat. No.949,324, a film supply chamber is opened at the bottom of the camera byremoving a baseplate from the camera body or by opening a bottom door ofthe camera. A film cassette or magazine containing a coiled 35 mmfilmstrip is inserted longitudinally, i.e., axially, into the opening tothe supply chamber. In the back-loaded type, which may be a 110 or 126size camera or a 35 mm camera, the film supply chamber is opened at theback of the camera by removing a camera back from the camera body or byopening a back door of the camera. A film cartridge containing 110 or126 size film or a film cassette or magazine (for 35 mm film) isinserted laterally into the opening to the supply chamber.

With both the bottom-loaded camera and the back-loaded camera,typically, before any film is loaded in the camera, either a back dooris completely opened or a camera back is removed in order to move a filmpressure device, such as a spring-urged plate on the inside of the backdoor or the camera back, from the camera interior. This is done toprovide sufficient space for locating a 110 or 126 size film cartridgeacross the exposure frame in the camera or for manually threading a 35mm film leader from the film supply chamber, across the exposure frame,to a film take-up chamber in the camera. When, however the camera isopened to such an extent for film loading, its interior is no longershielded or protected. This allows dust and other foreign particles toenter the camera interior, which can damage or hinder operation of theinterior mechanisms and can interfere with imaging or exposure of thefilm. Moreover, opening such cameras for film loading allows the user totouch the interior parts and possibly damage them.

In the bottom-loaded camera, film loading requires that the baseplate beremoved or the bottom door be opened and that the back door be opened.Such separate operation of two covering members is troublesome andnecessitates a certain degree of manual dexterity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above-described problems associated with known cameras are believedsolved by the present invention. Specifically, the present inventionprovides an improved camera door and body construction that allows onlylimited access to the camera interior during film loading in order toshield interior mechanisms from foreign particles and tampering. On theother hand, the improved door and body construction allows greater orunlimited access to the camera interior should it become necessary, forexample, to clear a film jam in the camera or to repair or clean aninterior mechanism.

In keeping with the teachings of the present invention, there isdisclosed in a bottom-loaded photographic camera, apparatus forproviding various degrees of access to the camera interior for filmloading and other purposes, the apparatus comprising:

door means, openable to a partially opened position for substantiallyshielding the camera interior but allowing limited access to the camerainterior at the camera bottom for film loading, and openable to a fullyopened position for allowing greater access to the camera interior forother purposes; and

means for blocking the door means to prevent its opening farther thanthe partially opened position, the blocking means being adapted to bedisabled to permit opening of the door means to its fully openedposition.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, thephotographic camera has a bottom opening to the camera interior which isshaped for film loading, and the door means is a single door which, inits partially opened position, allows access to the camera interior onlythrough the bottom opening. This arrangement, in effect, substantiallyshields the camera interior from, for example, foreign particles andfingerprints, during film loading, and simplifies the loading operation.Film pressure means is mounted on the door to hold the filmsubstantially flat during exposure and moves with the door, as thelatter is moved to its partially opened position, to provide space forlocating film in the camera. Moreover, the means for blocking the doorfrom being opened farther than its partially opened position includes amanually operated latch, urged to engage the door in its partiallyopened position. The latch is obscured or covered by the door, in aclosed position, to prevent the latch from being moved. However, oncethe door is opened to its partially opened position, the latch isuncovered to permit retraction of the latch from the door, in order toopen the door to its fully opened position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a photographic camera having a door andbody construction in accordance with a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the photographic camera, showing thecamera door opened to a partially opened position substantiallyshielding the camera interior but uncovering the camera body for filmloading;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the photographic camera, showing thecamera door opened to a fully opened position completely uncovering thecamera body to allow access to the camera interior; and

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the photographic camera, showing a latchmechanism for holding the camera door closed and in its partially openedposition.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention is described as being embodied in a relativelysimple 35 mm camera. Because such cameras are well known, thisdescription is directed in particular to elements forming part of orcooperating directly with the preferred embodiment. It is to beunderstood, however, that other elements not shown or described may takevarious forms known or obvious to one having ordinary skill in thedesign of cameras.

Referring now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, thereis shown a bottom-loaded 35 mm camera for receiving a film container C,such as a conventional 35 mm film magazine or film cassette. A coremember X, rotatably mounted in the film container C, supports a coiled35 mm filmstrip having a normally curled leader L. The film leader Llongitudinally extends out of a light-tight opening O in a lippedportion Y of the film container C.

The camera, in accordance with the invention, preferably comprises abody portion 1 and a unitary cover door 3, although other embodiments,such as a compound or multi-element cover door, may be used. An exampleof a compound door is disclosed in commonly assigned copendingapplication Ser. No. 260,876, entitled CAMERA DOOR APPARATUS, and filedon May 6, 1981, in the name of Neil G. Seely. A hinge mechanism 5,located adjacent a front wall 7 of the camera body 1, shown in FIG. 1,supports the cover door 3 for pivotal opening and closing movement abouta pivot axis concentric with a pin member 9 of the hinge mechanism. Onthe front wall 7 of the camera body 1, there is illustrated in FIG. 1, adepressable shutter release button 11, a picture-taking lens 13, whichmay be fixed or variable focus, and a front viewfinder window 15. A rearviewfinder window 17, located on a back portion 19 of the camera body 1in alignment with the front viewfinder window 15, and a viewing aperture20, located in the camera door 3 for looking through the viewfinderwindows, are illustrated in FIG. 3.

The camera body 1, as shown in FIG. 3, is open at the back portion 19 toprovide access to the camera interior for a number of conventionalpurposes, such as clearing a film jam, and cleaning or repairing aninterior mechanism. A loading or supply chamber 21 in the camera body 1is shaped to receive and hold the film container C. Known means, notshown, in the loading chamber 21, rotatably supports the core member Xof the film container C during film advance and film rewind in thecamera. A slot-like extension 23 of the loading chamber 21 holds thelipped portion Y of the film container C to prevent rotation of the filmcontainer as the filmstrip is moved. Film advance and film rewind may beaccomplished using commonplace drive mechanisms and, in this connection,there is illustrated in FIG. 3, a sprocket wheel 25 for engaging andadvancing the filmstrip. As is customary, film advance is from theslot-like extension 23 of the loading chamber 21, across an exposureframe 27, and onto a take-up spool 29, rotatably mounted within atake-up chamber 31 in the camera body 1. Two parallel walls 33 and 35 orother suitable means, such as guide rails or guide rollers, not shown,define a film passageway or a film path, indicated by a double-headedarrow P in FIG. 3, for guiding film between the slot-like extension 23and the take-up chamber 31.

The loading chamber 21, as shown in FIG. 3, is only accessible forcontainer-loading at a bottom portion 37 of the camera body 1, throughan entrance opening 39 to the loading chamber. The film passageway P isaccessible for leader-loading at the bottom portion 37 of the camerabody 1, through an elongate opening 41 to the film passageway in thewall 35. The entrance opening 39 and the elongate opening 41, together,define a single continuous opening in the bottom portion 37 forinserting the film container C endwise, i.e., axially, into the loadingchamber 21 and for inserting the film leader L edgewise, i.e.,longitudinal edge first, into the film passageway P. To load the filmcontainer C and the film leader L into the camera, the film leadershould be slightly shorter in length than that of the elongate opening41, as shown in FIG. 2. This may be accomplished either by drawing outor winding in an appropriate length of the film leader L, through thelight-tight opening O in the film container C. Then, the film leader L,which is normally curled, is held straight and inserted edgewise throughthe elongate opening 41 and, at the same time, the film container C, isinserted endwise through the entrance opening 39. Means may be provided,such as disclosed in copending commonly assigned application Ser. No.260,875, entitled FILM LOADING APPARATUS, and filed on May 6, 1981, inthe name of Neil G. Seely and David G. Smart, for automaticallyuncurling the film leader L for movement into the elongate opening 41 asthe film container C is moved into the entrance opening 39. Followingloading of the film container C and the film leader L into the cameraand, preferably, after the cover door 3 is closed, as in FIG. 1, asuitable mechanism, not shown, couples the film leader to the sprocketwheel 25 and initiates film advance to thread the film leader onto thetake-up spool 29.

The cover door 3, in accordance with the invention, comprises a backcover element 43, a top cover element 45, a bottom cover element 47,identical in shape to the top cover element, and two similar side coverelements 49 and 51. With the illustrated arrangement of respective coverelements, the cover door 3 in a partially opened position, as shown inFIG. 2, substantially shields the camera interior by enclosing the backportion 19 of the camera body 1. However, limited access is allowed tothe camera interior for film loading, through the continuous bottomopening defined by the connected openings 39 and 41 to the loadingchamber 21 and the film passageway P. Conversely, the cover door 3 in afully opened position, as shown in FIG. 3, allows much greater or directaccess to the camera interior by uncovering the back portion 19 of thecamera body 1. Accordingly, on the one hand, the cover door 3 in thepartially opened position substantially shields the camera interiorduring film loading from foreign particles, fingerprints, and tamperingwith an interior mechanism. And on the other hand, the cover door in thefully opened position allows access to the camera interior should itbecome necessary, for example, to clear a film jam in the camera or torepair or clean an interior mechanism.

A spring-urged pressure plate 53, shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is mounted onthe inside of the back cover element 43 of the cover door 3. When thecover door 3 is in a closed position, the pressure plate 53 is locatedadjacent the film passageway P, to hold a section of filmstrip from thefilm container C substantially flat and in close proximity to theexposure frame 27 during picture-taking. However, the pressure plate 53is moved with the cover door 3 to the partially opened position, in FIG.2, away from the film passageway P, to provide space for inserting thefilm leader L through the elongate opening 41 to the film passageway.

A releasable latch mechanism is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 for holding thecover door 3 in the closed and partially opened positions against theopening urging of a spring 55, located adjacent the hinge mechanism 5.The latch mechanism includes an arcuate notched finger 57, fixed to theinside of the bottom cover element 47 of the cover door 3 and receivablein an arcuate channel 59 in a raised piece 61 on the bottom portion 37of the camera body 1. Two manually slidable locking or latching elements63 and 65 are located on the raised piece 61 and the bottom portion 37of the camera body 1 and are urged by respective springs 67 and 69 toengage the notched finger 57 at a V-shaped notch 71 and an elongatenotch 73. As shown in FIG. 4, the locking element 63 releasably securesthe cover door 3 in the closed position by engaging the arcuate finger57 at the notch 71, and the locking element 69 blocks the cover doorfrom being opened farther than the partially opened position by engagingthe arcuate finger at an edge 75 in the notch 73. Preferably, thelocking element 69 is covered by the bottom cover element 47 of thecover door 3 in the closed position, to prevent that locking elementfrom being manually moved. The locking element 69 is uncovered once thecover door 3 is opened to the partially opened position, to permitwithdrawal of that locking element from the notch 73 in order to openthe cover door to the fully opened position.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference toa preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood thatvariations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scopeof the invention.

I claim:
 1. In a bottom-loaded photographic camera for receiving a filmcontainer supporting a filmstrip having a leader extending from thecontainer, apparatus for providing various degrees of access to thecamera interior for film loading and other purposes, said apparatuscomprising:door means, openable to a partially opened position forsubstantially shielding the camera interior but allowing limited accessto the camera interior at the camera bottom for loading a film containerinto said camera, and openable to a fully opened position for allowinggreater access to the camera interior for other purposes; and means forblocking said door means to prevent its opening farther than thepartially opened position, said blocking means being adapted to bedisabled to permit opening of said door means to its fully openedposition.
 2. Apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein said photographiccamera has an opening to the camera interior at the camera bottom forreceiving a film container, and said door means in its partially openedposition allows access to the camera interior only through said opening.3. Apparatus as recited in claim 2, wherein said door means is a singledoor having integral first and second covers which in the partiallyopened position substantially shield the camera interior and uncoversaid opening to the camera interior, respectively.
 4. Apparatus asrecited in claim 1, wherein said blocking means is adapted to releasesaid door means only in the partially opened position.
 5. In abottom-loaded photographic camera for receiving a film containersupporting a filmstrip having a leader extending from the container,apparatus for providing various degrees of access to the camera interiorfor film loading and other purposes, said apparatus comprising:normallyclosed door means, effective in a partially opened position forsubstantially shielding the camera interior but allowing limited accessto the camera interior at the camera bottom for loading a film containerinto said camera, and effective in a fully opened position for allowinggreater access to the camera interior for other purposes; meanssupporting said door means for opening movement from a closed positionto its partially and fully opened position; and latching means forholding said door means to prevent its opening farther than thepartially opened position, said latching means being manually movable torelease said door means in its partially opened position for opening toits fully opened position and being obscured by said door means in itsclosed position to prevent manual movement of said latching means.
 6. Ina photographic camera for receiving a film container supporting afilmstrip having a leader extending from the container, apparatus forproviding various degrees of access to the camera interior for filmloading and other purposes, said apparatus comprising:door means,openable to a partially opened position for substantially shielding thecamera interior but allowing limited access to the camera interior forloading a film container into said camera, and openable to a fullyopened position for allowing greater access to the camera interior forother purposes; film pressure means, mounted on said door means in thecamera interior, for holding a filmstrip substantially flat duringexposure and for movement with said door means to its partially openedposition to provide space for locating a film leader in said camera; andmeans for blocking said door means to prevent its opening farther thanthe partially opened position and for releasing said door means in itspartially opened position for opening to its fully opened position. 7.In a bottom-loaded photographic camera for receiving a film containersupporting a filmstrip having a leader extending from the container,apparatus for providing various degrees of access to the camera interiorfor film loading and other purposes, said apparatus comprising:meansdefining (a) a loading chamber in the camera interior for a filmcontainer, and (b) an opening to said chamber at the camera bottom forreceiving the film container; means defining (a) a film passageway inthe camera interior for guiding a filmstrip from a film containerreceived in said loading chamber, and (b) an elongate opening to saidpassageway along the camera bottom for receiving a film leader as a filmcontainer is received in said opening to said loading chamber; doormeans, openable to a partially opened position for substantiallyshielding the camera interior but allowing limited access to the camerainterior through said openings to said loading chamber and saidpassageway, and openable to a fully opened position for allowing greateraccess to the camera interior; and means for blocking said door means toprevent its opening farther than the partially opened position and forreleasing said door means in its partially opened position for openingto its fully opened position.
 8. Apparatus as recited in claim 7,wherein said door means includes (a) a back cover which substantiallyshields the camera interior when said door means is in its partiallyopened position, (b) a bottom cover which is joined with said back coverand uncovers said openings to said loading chamber and said passagewaywhen said door means is in its partially opened position, and (c) meanssupporting both of said covers for pivoting on the same axis. 9.Apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein a film platen is located onsaid back cover adjacent said film passageway to hold a filmstripsubstantially flat during exposure and is moved away from saidpassageway as said door means is opened to its partially opened positionto provide space for inserting a film leader into said passageway.